Galah
| Galah | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Eolophus roseicapilla |
The Galah cockatoo (Eolophus roseicapilla) is one of the commonest and most widespread parrots in Australia. It has a pale to mid grey back, a red face and chest, and a pink crest.
Three subspecies are recognised. The commonest in most of Australia is E. r. roseicapillus, and it is this that is likely to be found as a pet bird outside the country. In most of Western Australia a paler-bodied subspecies, E. r. assimilis, is more common, though in the north of the state and parts of the Northern Territory it is replaced by a third, somewhat smaller subspecies, E. r. kuhli.
Typical birds are about 35cm long and weigh between 300 to 400 grams. Galahs are found in all Australia's states, and are absent only from the dryest areas and the far north of Cape York. They are common in the some metropolitan areas, for example Perth in Western Australia.
Galahs are highly social and very long lived: though they are sometimes kept as pets, this is not something to be undertaken lightly, as they bond socially with their owners and may well outlive them.